Biker Parents Let Their Children Ride On A Motorcycle From As Young As 5 Years Old

New research has revealed that motorcycle-loving British parents typically let their child ride on a powered bike of some kind, either alone or pillion, from the age of five years old, with it taking just 7 weeks before they’re confident enough to know what they’re doing. Over half of the youngsters will give up riding motorbikes after a short while though, with just under 1 in 5 entering races and competitions.

British parents who allow their children to ride motorbikes of some kind and enter races & competitions find themselves forking out £1,700 on the kit, including the bike and the safety clothing – yet most who let their children ride on motorcycles confess that their youngsters lose interest in riding after a short while.

The team behind a premium range of motorcycle cleaning products (www.wmbpride.bike) undertook the research as part of an ongoing study into Britons’ attitudes towards riding motorbikes. 2,095 British parents, all of whom stated that they had a keen interest in motorcycles and at least one child under the age of 13, were quizzed for the poll.

To begin with, all respondents were asked at what age they had let their child first get on a motorcycle, either alone or pillion; although 48% said their children had ‘never’, the majority had and the average age was 5 years old. When asked what the first powered bike was that their child went on, ‘a dirt bike’ (46%), ‘a mini-moto’ (24%) and ‘a moped’ (22%) were revealed as the most common bikes to start out on. Those parents who had never let their child get on a motorcycle of any kind cited ‘health & safety’ (53%) and ‘the cost’ (28%) as the main reasons why.

All relevant respondents were then asked how long it had taken for their child to learn to ride the motorcycle (if they’d let them go on it alone), with parents revealing ‘7 weeks’ as the average answer.

When asked why they chose to let their children ride a motorcycle of some kind, and provided with a list of possible options from which they could select all those that applied, the top reasons why were revealed to be:

It’s a family hobby – 61%

They asked to be taught to ride a bike – 49%

We wanted to give them a hobby they’d be good at – 26%

We were gifted/offered the bike – 19%

They tried it elsewhere to begin with – 7%

When asked if their children had stuck at riding bikes, or if it had merely been a short-lived hobby, 58% of the relevant respondents confessed that their children had given up after a short while, whilst the remaining respondents stated that their children either ‘continued to ride in their free time’ (24%) or ‘continued to ride, entering races and competitions, etc.’ (18%),

Those who stated that their children continued riding and had entered races and competitions were asked how much they had invested into this to begin with on a bike, safety clothing, helmets and so on, with £1,700 revealed as the average.

Tony Davis, Director of WMB Logistics, spoke about the findings:

“Motocross in particular is a great sport for young children to get into, offering them a fun place to race their bikes against other children their own age. It’s an adrenaline-fuelled hobby, or even career for some, and is a unique way to get children involved in something they could love. Therefore, it’s no surprise that biker loving parents are allowing their children to try out a motorcycle of some kind as young as 5 years old, particularly if it’s a family hobby and they’re surrounded by bikes and the motocross scene. It’s worth taking all safety precautions though, as it is a dangerous sport with a high risk of damage to both the child and the bike.”